The prophet Elijah visits modern day Chicago.

Sally, living in Chicago, is pregnant and seeks an abortion. At the same time, she dismisses her boyfriend, a young sculptor who begins a search through the streets of Chicago for the prophet Elijah. An old tramp emerges from the waters of Lake Michigan, and the sculptor follows him. At one point the old man gets into the back of a delivery truck with the name "Goldstein" stamped on its side, seemingly guided by an invisible driver, and throws out some electrical and household appliances. At another point the old man is chased through a sausage factory by a guard; he is rescued by the sculptor, and the guard ends up in a meatgrinder. Later, Sally is operated on by two eccentric abortionists. Meanwhile, the sculptor has lost the old man and searches the city for him. His beatnik friend Jay tries unsuccessfully to borrow money from his wealthy father; then he steals his father's credit card and escapes, leaving the sculptor alone to continue his search for the man whom he believes to be Elijah. Novelist Nelson Algren makes an appearance, and the sculptor stops to listen to him before continuing his search. He runs from the city streets out to the lake shore to find the old man. All he finds is the tramp's hat, floating on the lake's surface.